In the traditional biblical account, Noah’s Ark carried eight people in total.

Who Was On The Ark?

According to Genesis and later New Testament references, the passengers are understood to be:

  • Noah
  • Noah’s wife
  • Shem and his wife
  • Ham and his wife
  • Japheth and his wife

That makes four couples, for a total of eight humans on the ark. 1 Peter 3:20 in the New Testament also explicitly mentions “eight” people being saved through the flood, which is why most religious and scholarly discussions settle on that number when people ask how many people were on Noah’s Ark.